Else To Blame
by astral-angel
Summary: Three years ago, they were lovers. Three years ago, they were torn apart by a lie. Now they’ve both been through more than they should have, but as a painful secret is unearthed, can they ever make it back to each other? Hunter-Lita
1. Prequel

**Title:** The Hardest Thing  
  
**Series:** Winds Of Change  
**  
Author:** Mauzi  
  
**Email:** astralangelfromhellyahoo.com.au  
  
**Category:** WWE  
  
**Pairings:** Lita/Hunter  
  
**Disclaimer:** All WWE characters belong to the WWE. Song belongs to 98 Degrees.  
**  
Distribution:** Cristal, HLA, others ask first  
  
**Rating:** PG-13  
  
**Spoilers:** Nothing specific.  
  
**Notes:** 1st in series

**Part 1/1**

  
_We both know that I shouldn't be here   
This is wrong   
And baby it's killing me, it's killing you   
Both of us trying to be strong _

He looked down on her sleeping form and tried to ignore the pang of guilt that hit him. Her long red hair was spread over the pillow, a small smile gracing her face as she slept. He bit his lip, aware of the pain he was causing her…them.

He knew that it hurt her to have to lie to her friends, day after day. He also knew that it killed her to see him with his wife, but god, what could he do? He couldn't leave Stephanie, but sometimes he thought he would die if he didn't have Lita. He didn't think that red-head knew what she meant to him, how much he loved her.  
  
_I've got somewhere else to be   
Promises to keep   
Someone else who loves me   
And trusts me fast asleep   
  
_That didn't matter though – he couldn't let it matter. Hunter let his eyes roam her face, her body. If he couldn't have her, he wanted to remember everything he could about her – the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, the way she blushed every time she caught him staring at her.

His heart twisted as she cuddled closer to him, unconsciously seeking his warmth. His blue eyes swirled with a myriad of emotions as he recalled the conversation he'd had with Stephanie earlier that day. He sighed, thinking about how close he'd come to telling Stephanie about his affair with Lita, the only thing keeping him sane. He was going to tell her, break it off, no matter what. And then Stephanie gave him the news that broke his heart into a million tiny pieces.

_  
I've made up my mind   
There is no turning back   
She's been good to me   
And she deserves better than that   
  
_God, how could he leave her after hearing the news? He knew Stephanie was no angel, that she could on occasion be a callous bitch, but still. Not even she deserved to go through that alone. His stomach churned as he stared at Lita.

"God, baby, I'm so sorry baby…"

The words left his mouth unbidden and his blonde hair curtained his face as he trailed his hand through her hair. The words ran through his mind like a never ending mantra, as he recalled how happily Stephanie had seemed, how her brown eyes had tried to hide their excitement.

_  
It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to do   
To look you in the eye   
And tell you I don't love you   
It's the hardest thing I'll ever have to lie   
To show no emotion when you start to cry   
  
_His gut clenched as the woman in his arms shifted, her eyes fluttering open sleepily. A lazy smile curved her lips, and he blinked furiously, trying to get rid of the tears that had pooled in his eyes. The smile on her face turned into a concerned frown as she looked up at him.

"Baby? What's wrong?"

He forced himself to look at her straight in the eye, locking all the emotion in his heart away from her searching gaze.

"Lita…we need to talk…" Hunter's already broken heart shattered even more as he spoke. He forced his mouth to move, telling her that it was over, that it had been fun while it lasted, but that it was finished. He consciously tried to ignore the tears swimming in her eyes, forcing himself to look at her directly in the eye.

_  
I can't let you see what you mean to me   
When my hands are tied and my heart's not free   
We're not meant to be   
  
_Her whispered denials rang in his ears as he carefully schooled his face into an expression of indifference. He sat up, hoping she didn't notice the way his hand's were shaking. Turning his back to her, he pulled his boxers on, giving them both a chance to compose themselves.

He couldn't let her go on crying – he knew that she would only end up hating herself for it later. He let the words spill from his mouth, hoping the cruel and uncalled for words would spark her fiery temper. If she got mad, then there was a chance that he wouldn't break down.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember how Stephanie had taken his hand and placed it over her stomach – over the little baby boy or girl that they had created.

_  
It's the hardest thing I'll ever had to do   
To turn around and walk away   
Pretending I don't love you _

He pulled on the rest of his clothes, needing to get away from her before his resolve broke. He turned to look at her one last time, the cold expression on her face imprinted on his face.

Still, he gritted his teeth and walked away, leaving the best thing that had ever happened to him behind. The random thought that this kid had better be worth it ran through his hand as the hotel room door clicked shut, and a tear trailed down his cheek.

He was so lost in his own pain that he never noticed his wife step out of the corner, or the satisfied smirk on her face.

**End The Hardest Thing**


	2. Prologue

**Title:** Else to Blame

**Author:** Mauzi

**Email:** WWE

**Pairings: **Hunter/Lita, Jericho/Victoria, Batista/Lilian, possible Randy/Stacy

**Disclaimer:** All WWE characters belong to the WWE.

**Distribution:** Cristal, HLA, others ask first

**Rating:** PG-13, may go up to R

**Spoilers:** 19/04/04 RAW

**Summary: **Three years ago, they were lovers. Three years ago, they were torn apart by a lie. Now they've both been through more than they should have, but as a painful secret is unearthed, can they ever make it back to each other?

**Notes: **Sequel to 'The Hardest Thing', the first fic in my 'Winds of Change' series. All other fics in the series are irrelevant to this fic.

**Notes 2: **For everyone who wanted to see an extended sequel to 'The Hardest Thing'.**Prologue  
**

She sat in a corner, knees pulled to her chest. Her body was trembling, and then shaking as the reality of what was happening hit her. Her eyes were closed, but she was still so very aware of the fighting that was taking place in the ring. Her ears easily picked up the sounds of men fighting, and her mind quickly placed faces on the voices, some familiar, some not, all fighting over her.

A shudder wracked her body as she remembered how he'd pressed himself against her, and she couldn't prevent the bile that rose in her throat at the memory of his hot breath on her face, his hands so close to her body.

Dammit, she should have left the ring the second Kane's pyro's had gone off. She should have left when Gail had left. When Val had been choke-slammed in his vain effort to protect her. Instead she'd stayed in the ring, but god, she'd tried, and then her legs just wouldn't move, and she'd been so scared. And she knew that some small part of her had still expected Matt Hardy to come and save her. Stupid, she knew that, but lord, she'd never thought that he'd leave her with Kane. He pretty much hated her, but it still hurt to know that he'd left her alone with that monster.

And she was still in the ring, still shaking and still backed into a corner because her legs closely resembled jelly at the moment. Her teeth clamped down over her lip, stifling the cry that threatened to filter through. Her hands clenched, but she kept them locked over her knees, knowing that they would fly straight up to her ears the moment she relaxed. And she needed to hear what was going on.

The familiar sound of a steel chair meeting flesh rang through her mind, and she bit back the shriek that tore at her lips at the ominous silence that settled over the ring. The roar of the crowd became a muted rumble, and she was all too aware of the sound of her own heavy breathing. She attempted to raise her head, but she quickly found that her body just wasn't co-operating.

Her eyes opened, the hazel orbs locked onto the grey of the mat, stained with sweat and blood. Tears swam in her eyes, blurring her vision, but she was still able to make out the black booted feet that appeared in her line of sight.

A whimper left her lips and she hated that the weak, vulnerable sound had come from her, but as the man in front of her bent down, she couldn't hold back the tears.

Because it was him.


End file.
